By Bruce Arnold

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A few weeks ago here in SoBe, I passed a 49cc scooter with a sticker on its rear fender that read "ONE LESS SUV". And given the alarming number of recent reports of motorcyclists killed and injured in crashes caused by SUV drivers violating our right-of-way...

http://tinyurl.com/579wtz

...I considered that a positive sign and inspiring message. After all, every set of four wheels traded for two means one less cager whose carelessness might kill us. And every driver who becomes a rider, even if only part-time, is one more motorist likely to "watch for motorcycles" rather than cause a crash and claim "they didn't see it" ... one more constituent for the bikers' rights political base ... and one more prospective MRO member.

That all sounds good, right? So what's the downside? Well for one thing, it might be that all of those new riders are "new". New means no experience. And that means that even in a world where "Motorcycle Awareness" was more than just the Holy Grail of Bikers' Rights, the only thing keeping all those noobie noggins from hitting the pavement rounding their first corner is rider training and protective gear.

Will the rising tide of gas prices flood our streets and highways with wave after wave of wobbly riders? And if so, how might we expect that to impact America's biker culture and the motorcyclists' rights arena? Will our calls for crash prevention programs keyed to "Motorcycle Awareness" finally be heard? Or will we be overwhelmed by renewed Nannycratic insistence on the blind pursuit of myopic crash survival policies whose principal beneficiaries are the vendors of "Motorcycle Safety" commodities?

I don't have all the answers here, so I'm asking for YOUR input. I suspect our two-wheeled world is about to undergo a major paradigm shift, and I want to know what YOU have to say about that. How will rising gas prices impact the motorcyclists' rights arena? Take a moment to think about that, then post your thoughts to this forum thread:

http://tinyurl.com/55osy5

There, you will also find a digest of recent articles on this topic if you'd like further information or inspiration. And as for motivation, the person making what I consider to be the best posting will receive a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR CASH PRIZE. This contest ends midnight ET on June 30, and the winner will be announced by July 4th.

These are serious questions. I will greatly appreciate YOUR serious reply.

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